Bond Meeting A Bust

Liz Beavers
Cumberland Times-News

May 06, 2008 11:57 am

— KEYSER, W.Va. - The first of two community meetings scheduled by the Mineral County Board of Education to answer the scores of questions that seemed to be swirling around the county in regard to the upcoming $15.8 million bond issue was a bust.
The only people who showed up for Monday evening's meeting at Keyser Primary-Middle School were Superintendent Skip Hackworth, Assistant Superintendent Pat Mason, three board members, two political candidates and the media.
"I'm obviously disappointed with the turnout," Hackworth said, noting that the upcoming bond issue election, which is running concurrently with the West Virginia primary election on May 13, is "one of the most important things on the ballot."
The issue, if passed, will raise a total of $15.8 million, which will be used along with the $9 million awarded to the county by the West Virginia State Building Authority to ease some of the overcrowding problems being felt all over the county.
The smaller community schools - Elk Garden, New Creek, Burlington, Fountain, Fort Ashby and Wiley Ford - would be retained, with many of them receiving much-needed renovations.
Keyser Primary-Middle School, which Hackworth says is stretched beyond its limits in terms of space, would be downsized to house only middle school students, while a new Keyser Primary would be built adjacent to it.
"We have more students in the present Keyser Primary-Middle than eight counties in West Virginia have in their school system," Hackworth said.
"We've got kids in rooms in this school that were originally meant for storage."
Usage of some of the rooms in the smaller schools is almost as bad.
At Burlington Primary, for example, which was built in 1938, one small multi-purpose room serves as the school's gym, cafeteria, art and music room.
A new multi-purpose room and a renovated kitchen would alleviate the overcrowding.
"At Frankfort Intermediate School, we have two unattached buildings we really don't want to use," Hackworth said.
"In fact, one of them we should just push down over the hill."
That building, he explained, was once used for storage but two years ago was altered into a combination library and art/music room.
"Their cafeteria is in the hallway. They serve lunch continuously for 2 1/2 hours," he said.
At Wiley Ford Primary, lunch is also served in the hallway.
"The students take their trays across the hallway into a classroom, if it's available.
"If it's not available, they go back to their classes," he said.
If the bond levy passes, those situations would be eliminated.
If it does not pass, the SBA will take the $9 million elsewhere.
"There are counties waiting to get that $9 million if we don't pass this," Hackworth said.
He feels it is the county's responsibility to pass the levy and provide the best education possible for their children.
"It's our turn to pay for the generations to come," he said.
"If we don't assume that responsibility, then who will?"
Despite the small crowd attending Monday's meeting, Hackworth gave a PowerPoint presentation on the plan for the schools.
In fact, it was the same presentation that prompted the board to schedule the meetings so the public could get a glimpse of the drawings of what the renovations, and the new Keyser Primary School, would look like.
"However we can get this out to the public, we need to do it," board member Bob Shook said at a previous board meeting.
"They've got to see this."
The second meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Frankfort High School.
Contact Liz Beavers at lizbeavers@yahoo.com.

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